# Bracket Fungus (*Stictoponera hyalina*)

Bracket fungus is a type of mushroom that grows on trees. It looks like a shelf sticking out from the trunk. These fungi help break down dead trees and recycle nutrients back into the forest.

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Habitat:** Forests

![Bracket Fungus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Birkenporling_-_birch_polypore_-_birch_bracket_-_razor_strop_-_Piptoporus_betulinus_-_03.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Norbert Nagel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birkenporling_-_birch_polypore_-_birch_bracket_-_razor_strop_-_Piptoporus_betulinus_-_03.jpg)

## Appearance

The Bracket Fungus is a tough, shelf-like growth, often grey-brown on top with a white underside. It grows horizontally from trees and logs, becoming woody with age. Its flat, porous surface will bruise dark brown when touched.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes

## Interesting facts

- Ancient people used slices of certain bracket fungi as natural bandages for wounds.
- Even when a tree falls down, the bracket fungus growing on it can keep living for years!
- Some types of bracket fungi were once used to carry glowing embers for starting fires!
- The oldest known bracket fungi can live for 80 years or even more on a single tree!

## Special abilities

- **Artist's Canvas:** Bracket Fungus has a white pore surface that darkens permanently when scratched, letting artists 'draw' on it.
- **Woody Recycler:** Bracket Fungus can break down tough dead wood, returning nutrients to the forest floor like a natural clean-up crew.
- **Perennial Power:** Bracket Fungus has fruiting bodies that can live for many years, adding new growth each season without dying off.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 2-10 cm
- **Edible:** inedible
- **Size:** 10-60 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Year-round
- **Spore Color:** Brown

## Ecological connections

- **Depends on:** [Northern Red Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-red-oak) (*Quercus rubra*) — grows on its decaying wood
- **Depends on:** [Sugar Maple](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sugar-maple) (*Acer saccharum*) — grows on its decaying wood
- **Depends on:** [American Beech](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-beech) (*Fagus grandifolia*) — grows on its decaying wood

## Traits

- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Enjoy looking at bracket fungi, but never touch or eat them as some can be harmful.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Bracket Fungus?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Bracket Fungus?

2-10 cm

### Is Bracket Fungus edible?

inedible

### How big is Bracket Fungus?

10-60 cm

### Where is Bracket Fungus usually found?

Forests

### What does Bracket Fungus grow on?

wood

### When is Bracket Fungus in season?

Year-round

### What color are Bracket Fungus spores?

Brown

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

---

Source: [Bracket Fungus: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bracket-fungus)